Grouping mechanism for voting-machines.



PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

G. G. ABBOTT. GROUPINGMEGHANISM FOR VOTING MACHINES.

A PPLIOATION FILED MAY ZO. 1907.

. boomer IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII III! WITNESSES j av /1m.

' UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

, CHAR-LES ABBOTT, OF PITTSFIELD, MASSAOHUSETTSpAS SIGNO R TO TRIUMPH VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, OIMPITTSF IELD, MASSACHUSETTS,

JERSEY.

A CORPORATION NEW exocrine MECHANISM non =YO'IING-MACHINES.

Application an May 20.1907. Serial No. 374.612.

To all whom it may concern;

the mechanism of a voting machine that has .namesof candidates for each office are to do with group voting, so called.

The'invention is shown as applied to a horizontal machine, in which the names of party candidates are laced in horizontal lines and the names of a l candidates for the same oflice are placed in vertical columns. But the invention is, of course, plicable to a vertica machine,;1n which the names of party candidates are placed in vertical columns and the-names of all candidates for the same office are placed inhorizontal lines, or to a machine in which the laced in alphabetical order without party co umns.

The invention consists in certain constructions and in certain parts, improvements and combinations which ad apt a voting machine for group voting, and that will permit votes to be cast in a grou in accordance with the will of the voter, al for the nominees of one arty,

or any number of nominees of any party up to the total number of offices in a group and will furthermore render it impossible for a voter to cast but one vote for any candidate, or more votes than there are offices in a grou r th these and other objects in .view I have devised. the novel grou ing mechanism which I will now describe, re erring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and using reference characters to indicate the several arts:

' Figure 1 is a front e evation of somuch of the mechanism of a voting machine as is re- 55,14 which-also serve as journ s for ro tion of the arrows.

10 denotes the base of a voting machine,

quired to illustrate mypresent invention, certain of the arts being shown in. vertical section; and 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

11 the iront plate, 12 an intermediate plate, 13 the grouping plate which is U-shape in cross section and is shown as rigidly secured to the front and intermediate lates b studs ilers 15 equally apor for one nominee of each party, or

.tudinal looking in the direc p necting member rollers and which are pivotwhich I term for convenience the fixed grouping rollers. 16 denotes journaled in the front and intermediate plates, and each comprising, so far as the present inventionis concerned, a shaft specifically indicated by 17, avoting lever indi- (ated by 18 and a depressing arm indicated 20 denotes interlocking members as a whole. *These interloeldng members corree rammes Dec. 10, 1907.

voting members shown asspond' in number with the lines of voting members and each comprise side plates 21 and cam lates 22 movable obliquelyrelatively to 't e side plates; The cam plates in each .-i 'nterlocking .member correspond in number with the voting members in a verticali column. When a voting member is operated the depressing arm 19 of the voting member engages the corresponding cam plate of the interlocking member and displaces it laterally, as shown by the lower cam by placing a slack therein. In setting up ing, 'one voting member corresponding with each interlocking member is operated, thereby placing aslack in the interlocking member, which is then so set that no further slacks can be laced therein, thereby rendering it 'impossi le for any voter to vote for but one candidate for any office. The interlocking members pass through slots 23 in longitudinalbraces 24 shown as riveted t0 the intermediate plate. as guides and supports I for the interlocking member, the slots being made amply long to permit the required lateral movement of the cam-plates. When a depressing arm -is moved to the operative or voting position (see lowe; depressing arm in second column), it will be noted that it swings slightly past the center, so as to be self-retaining in the voting osition, and rests against a longibrace which serves as a stop therefor. 25 denotes rollers which I termthe conedbetween the lower ends of the lower side plates of the interlocking members.

26 denotes flexible connecting members, in the present instance chains. One end of each connectin member is shown as pivoted to a link 27 which in turn is pivotedto a stud the machine for regular votplate in the second interlocking member, the eflieet of which is to contract the interlocking member longitudinally These braces serve shown, as it forms no portion of "third columns is Fig.

stated, the flexible grouping member is against it, thereby locking the chain 28, shown in the present instance as projecting from the intermediate plate. Each flexible connecting member asses over one of the connecting member rollers and has pivoted at its other end a carrier 29 in which is ivoted a grouping roller 30. These rollers T term for convenience movable grouping rollers.

31 denotes the flexible grouping member, in the'present instance a chain, which passes alternately about the movable and fixed grouping rollers, as clearly shown. The ends of the flexible grouping member are connected to some fixed portion of the machine, in the present instance to the base. I preferably interpose a turn buckle 32 between the grouping member and its point of attachment at one or both ends in order to provide adjustment for the flexible grouping member in setting up the machine and to take up the slack in use.

In ordinary voting, the flexible grouping member is locked to each of the fixed grouping rollers by means of shoes 33 which are pivotally connected to ,screws 34 which engage the horizontal portion of the grouping late. vOpenings 35 are provided near the ower end of the intermediate plate in order, to give access to the heads 36 of the screws to set or release the shoes. It will be understood, of course, that in voting machines as ordinarily constructed, for exam le, in the Triumph voting machine, the ot or end of each interlocking member (not shown) is connected to the corresponding portion of the independent voting mechanism (not the present invention). In the normal position of the partsthat is, when no voting member has been operated the interlocking memberswill be attheir elongated position and the connecting member rollers and the :carriers will'be at their lowered position (see first and 1). en a voting member is operated, a slack will be placed in the corresponding interlocking member and said member will be contracted, raising the connecting member roller and carrier, as, for example, the second interlocking member as in Fig. l.

The operation is as follows: In setting u the machine for ordinary voting one slack s placed in each interlocking member by operating one voting member corresponding therewith; then the flexible grouping member is tightened u so as to leave no slack therein. For -ordinary voting, as alread locked upon each fixed grouping roller by moving the eorrespondingfshoe 33 tightly to the roller so that there can beno movementof either. The rule for setting up the machine for group voting is simply to loosen all of the shoes 33 between the first and last columns candidates are to be voted for it 1n 8. group.

nately about t e fixed and in a group. Suppose, for example, that the three interlocking members illustrated were to be grouped-that is to say, that a voter is to be permitted to vote for three candidates for the same 'ollice-the ofllcials having the election in charge would turn the screws 34 backward and release the grip of the shoes 33 upon the flexible grouping memherso that it would be no longer locked to the fixed grouping rollers, the released position of the shoes being indicated by dotted lines As three is necessary that provision be made for casting the three votes all in one column, or two in one column and one in either of the others, or, if a voter so elect, one in each of the columns.- In other words, it is necessary to make the slacks transferable. loosening the shoes 33, as indicated in dotted lines, so that the slacks may ,be transferred from one interlocking member to another by means of the flexible connecting members and the flexible grouping member. To set up the machine again for ordinary voting,

one voting-member corresponding witheach interlocking member would be operated and then the shoes 33 would be tightened up, looking the flexible groulping member again to the fixed grouping r0 lers, as alreadyexplained.

It will, of course, be obvious that the amount of movement of a flexible connecting member in the direction of its length when the corresponding interlocking member is operated by a voting member will be double the longitudinal contractin movement of the interlocking member, an that the movemember in the I ment of the flexible grouping direction of its length will be twice the movement of the flexible connecting member in the direction of its length, or four times the longitudinal contracting movement of the interlocking member, the princi 1e being simply that of the differential pulley. The special obi'ect of this construction isto secure a relative grougling member in the direction of its engt by means of a relatively small'longi tudinal contracting movement? ofthe interlocking members. By so doing I render it practically impossible to produce suflicient strain upon'the flexible grouping member to y great'movement of the flexible This is effected by enable a voter to cast an additional or fraudulent vote. This feature of construction becomes of espetaialimportance when. a relatively large number 0 columns are included Having thus described my invention, I claim: v

. 1. In a voting machine the combination with voting members and interlocking inembers having rollers, of fixed grouping rollers, carriers having movable grouping rollers, a flexible grou in" member passing altermovable grouping columns in a rollers and flexible connecting members attached to the carriers and passing over the rollers on the interlocking members andattached to a fixed portion of the machine.

I 2. In. a voting machine, the-combination with voting members and interlocking members having rollers, of fixed grouping rollers,

carriers having movable grouping rollers, a

flexible grouping member passmg alternately about the fixed and movable groupin rollers, flexible connecting members attac ed to the carriers and passingover the rollers on the interlockim members and attached to a fixed portion of the machine, and means forlocking the flexible grouping members upon the fixed grouping rollers for ordinary voting. 3. In a voting machine, the combination with interlocking members having rollers, a grouping plate and fixed roupmg rollers journaled therein, of flexible connecting members passing over the rollers in the interlocking members, carriers attached thereto and carrying movable grouping rollers, a flexible grouping member passing alternately about fixed and movable groupin rollers, screws in the grouping plate and s oes carried thereby which are adapted to lock the flexible grouping member to the fixed group: ing rollers intermediate the first and last oup. 4

4. In a voting machine, the combination with interlocking members havin rollers, a grouping plate and fixed oupmg rollers journaled therein, of flexible connecting members passing over the rollers inthe interlocking members, carriers attached thereto and carrying movable grouping rollers, a flexible grouping member passing alternately ou ing rollers, v I

40 means for adjusting the exib e grouping about fixed and movable member, and means'for locking the flexible grouping member to the fixed rollers.

5. In a voting jmachine, the combination with interlocking members, fixed grouping rollers and carriers having movable grouping rollers, of flexible'connecting members hav,

ing engagement with the interlocking members and attached to the carriers, a flexible grouping member passing alternately about a fixed and movable grouping roller and means for'locking the flexible groupingmemher to the fixed grouping rollers.

riers, a flexible grouping member passing alternately about a fixed grouping roller and her to the-fixed grouping rollers.

In testimony whereof I afli x my signature, 75.

in presence of two witnesses.

I CHARLES C. ABBOTT. Witnesses GEO. O. B. HAWLEY, CHARLES H. PITNEY.

6. In a voting machine,'thecombination' with interlocking members, fixed grouping. rollers and carriers, of .flexible connectingmembers havingengagement with the inter locking members and attached to the-car- 

